Engine starting apparatus



April 21, 1936. R. CHILTON ENGINE STARTING APPARA'JUS Filed Jan. 30, 1929 allill Gttornegs.

April 21, 1936.

R. CHILTON ENGINE STARTING'APPARATUS Filed Jan. 50, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2` Patented Apr. 21, 1936 UNITED STATES 2,038,163 ENGINE STARTING APPARATUS Roland Chilton, Keyport, N. J., assigner, by mesne assignments, to Eclipse Machine Company, Elmira Heights, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 30, 1929, Serial No. 333,315

9 Claims.

This invention relates to inertia engine starters, and more particularly to an inertia starter for aeroplane engines which is adapted to be operated by hand or power, or both.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an inertia starter which is small, light, poweriul and emcient in operation.

Another object is to provide a novel inertia starter embodying a yielding connection for the inertia element which is light and simple in construction, but which is durable and which maintains its adjustment over long periods of use.

Another object' is the provision oi a novel inertia starter embodying a yielding connection which is readily adjustable without disassembly of the starter.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel inertia starter in which provision is made for securing full and positive engagement oi the starting means with a member of the engine to be cranked.

Another object is to provide a novel inertia starter which is adapted to be operated by manual or power means, or both, and in which the power driving means is automatically disconnected upon operation of the manual cranking 'means Another object is the provision of a novel starter which is readily adapted for manual operation from a plurality o1' angularly related positions with respect thereto.

Fig. 2 is a section taken approximately on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section taken approximately on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail taken approximately on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail corresponding to a portion of Fig. 2 of the drawings, and showing a modication of the clutch shifting mechanism;

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail further illustrating a portion of the structure shown in Fig. 5.

Referring iirst to Figs. 1 and -2 of the drawings, a generally oval-shaped casing I0 is shown which comprises a central portion II and front and rear closure members I2 and I3, suitably iixed thereto as by means of cap screws I4 and I5, respectively. The front closure member I2 is provided with an annular flange I 6 which is -v spaced forwardly from the main portion thereon and which is provided with a series of openings I1 adapted to accommodate fastening devices such as the cap screws I8 which are threaded into suitable openings in the casing I9 oi the engine to be started. The openings I1 in the'flange I6 are formed as bayonet slots as indicated in Fig. 1, in order that the cap screws I8 may be started in the engine casing flange before the starter casing is applied thereto. In applying the starter, the heads of the cap screws pass through the enlarged portions of the openings I1, the starter is then rotated slightly to bring the cap screws into the barrel portion of said openings and then the cap screws are tightened down to hold the starter rmly in place.

A starting motor 20 of any suitable type is mounted on the ends of the casing I8 and is suitably xed thereto as by means of cap screws 2I. The armature shaft 22 lof the motor extends within the casing I8 and is provided with a suitable bearing 23 mounted on the inner face of the casing member II on a bracket 24 formed integ-ral therewith or suitably attached thereto.

A sleeve 25 is splined on the end of the shaft 22 within the casing III, and isvprovided at its upper end (Fig. 2) with ratchet teeth 26 which are adapted to operatively engage ratchet teeth 21 which are formed on the lower end of a pinion 28 mounted loosely on the armature shaft 22. A spring 29 is mounted on the shaft 22 between the bearing 23 and sleeve 25 yand is arranged to urge the ratchet teeth 26 into engagement with the teeth 21, the arrangement being such that when the motor 20 is energized, the pinion 28 will be driven therefrom through the ratchet connections, but whenxthe hand cranking means, to be described hereafter, is used, the pinion 28 is al lowed to freely overrun the armature shaft 22.

A countershaft 3U is rotatably mounted in suitable alined bearings 3I and 32 seated in the casing members I0 and II, respectively, and a gear 33 is freely journaled on an intermediate portion thereof in such a position that crown teeth 34 are in meshing relation with the teeth 35 of pinion member 28. An antifriction bearing member 36 is mounted in the casing ymember I2 by suitable means such as -the stud 31 so as to bear on the back of gear 33 opposite the pinion 28 in order to insure proper meshing engagement therebetween at all times.

Ar. annular clutch member 38 is loosely mounted on the countershaft 38 as by means of a hub member 39 formed integral therewith or suitably fixed thereto. The clutch member 38 is slotted radially as indicated at 43, forming a series of segmental clutch elements which are adapted to bear at their periphery against a corresponding clutch surface III formed inside of the rim of gear 33. The clutch member 38 is slightly dished with its central portion resting against the bearf ing 32. A clutch adjusting sleeve 43 is threaded on the end of the countershaftv and ybears against the bearing 32 and thus controls the pressure of the spring plate 42 against the nube:

clutch member 33. The gear 33 is provided at its hub with an inturned flange v44 which is adapted to bear against a radial projection 45 on the countershaft 30 and prevent motion of the gear 33 to the left in Fig. 2.

Pressure of the spring .plate 42 'against the clutch member will conseqently cause the clutch members to be flattened and thus expand the segmental clutch members into frictional engagement with the surface 4I of gear 33 by a powerful toggle action. A screw plug 46 is removably mounted in the casing member I3 in alinement with the adjusting sleeve 43 and has a reduced extension adapted to bear against the end of countershaft 30, whereby the plus acts as a thrust bearing for said shaft and when removed allows the adjustment of the sleeve 43 by means of a suitable spanner or other wrench. v,-

The hub 33 of clutch member 36 is coupled to the countershaft 30 by means of interengaging inclined cam teeth 41 and 46. The inclined cam teeth impose end reactions proportional to the driving load which overcome the spring 42 to release the clutch at a preset load in spite of variationsy in the frictional characteristics of the clutch surfaces. Countershaft 30 is provided with pinion teeth 49 which mesh with a main drive gear 50 rigidly secured to a driving barrel 5I. The latter is mounted rotatably in casing member I2 by suitable means such as thebearing 52 clamped to the barrel by the threaded ring 53 and to the casing member I2 by the ring 54, xed to the casing member I2 by suitable means such as screws 55. j

The barrel member 5I is provided at its rear end with bevel gear teeth 56 adapted to mesh with a bevel gear'51, fonned integral with or suitably fixed to, a cranking shaft 56 journaled in y a suitable bearing 53 and protruding fromthe side of casing member I I where it is adapted for engagement by any suitable cranking connection. It will be noted by reference to Fig. 3 of the drawings, that the seat 60 for the bearing 53 is duplicated at 60a to allow the cranking shaft 56 to be assembled in a different angular relationship to the casing I0 to adapt the starter for different installations.

A bearing 6I is mounted with a forced fit within the bevel gear 56, and a pinion shaft 62 is mounted at one end within said bearing and is provided\with teeth 63 which are adapted to mesh with spur teeth 64 on the periphery of gear member 33. Pinion shaft 62 is xed Within a hub y65 of a flywheel 66 which is rotatably mounted on a bearing 61 seated on a stud 68 extending inwardly from the closure member I3 in alinement with bearings 6I. Flywheel v66 ls connected to rotate with the pinion shaft 62 by any suitable means such as a tapered pin 69 passing therethrough, so that rotation of the gear 33 will spin the flywheel 66 at high speed.

A jaw clutch member 10 is splined within the driving barrel 5I as indicated at 1I for rotation with said barrel member and longitudinal move A-dished spring plate 42 is loosely vof the clutch member 10 is illustrated in Figs. 1

and 4, and comprises a manually actuated link 13 which is connected to swing a lever arm 14 fixed in any suitable manner on a vertical shaft 15. The lower end of shaft 15 has suitably fixed thereto a shifting arm 16 which carries at its end a shoe 11 which is adapted to run in a groove 13 (see also Fig. 2) in a ring member which is formed integral with the jaw clutch member 16 or is suitably attached thereto as by being threadedthereon.

The lever arm 14 is pointed at its end as indicated at and is adapted to cooperate with a pointed detent member 8| which is urged 1:0-,

ward the lever by suitable means such as a spring 82, the arrangement being such that the detent 62 serves to move the lever 14 to the clutch engaging or disengaging position Aby a positiveesnap action.

Figs.4 5 and 6 illustrate a modied form of the invention in which the clutch shifting arm 16a is provided with a pair of lugs 11a which are adapted to straddle a ange 18a on the clutch member 10a. A double radial and thrust bearing i 52a is provided for the driving barrel 5Ia, the outer race 54a of which is suitably attached to the inner side of the closure member I2 by suit- -able means such as the cap screws 65a.

The vertical shaft 15 (Fig. 1) of the clutch shifting means is provided with a suitable bearing 63 where it passes through the closure mem-l ber I2, and an opening 84 is provided in the closure member I2 and its ange I6 in order to allow` room for the movement of the shifting lever 16. This bearing and opening are duplicated at 85 and 66, respectively, in order that the shifting mechanism may be located conveniently for the 'operator in either of the cranking positions A illustrated.

attained sufllcient angular velocity and sufiicient energy is stored therein, the link 13 is actuated by the operator to cause the clutch member 10 to be swung into engagement with the member of the engine to be started. The' energy in iiywheel 66 is then transmitted through pinion 62, gear 33, clutch 38, countershaft 30, pinion 49. gear 50, and barrel 5I to the clutch member 10 to crank the engine.

. It will be understood that the clutch member 36 is pre-set by means of the adjusting sleeve 43 to transmit without slipping a load sufficient to break loose and rapidly accelerate the engine to a speed corresponding to that of the flywheel,

'while protecting the parts vfrom excessive load at the instant of connection of the starter to the engine, and in case of accidental backring of tlie engine. When the engine starts and overruns the clutch member 10, the inclination of the teeth 12 will cause the clutch member to be moved out of driving position, and the detent 8| cooperates with the lever 14 to snap the clutch member 10 back to its normal position. 'I'he starting switch for the motor may preferably be arranged to open at the time that the clutch member 1l! is moved into engagement with the engine in order that if the engine should fail to start for any reason the motor 20 would not be subjected to a stall torque, and possibly injured thereby.

In case the device is to be operated manually, rotation of shaft 58 by suitable cranking means will cause the rotation of barrel member 5I and the consequent accelerating of the flywheel 66 through the gearings 50, 49, 33 and 62. During this operation the ratchet sleeve 35 allows the pinion 28 to overrun the armature shaft 22 in order to relieve the operator from the load which would otherwise be occasioned by the necessity of rotating the motor 20 at the same time as the flywheel 66. When sufcient energy has been stored in the flywheel 65, the connection of the starter to the engine and the automatic disconnection thereof when ihe engine starts, takes place in the same manner as above described when the starter is operated by the motor 20.

It is to be expressly understood that the illustrated embodiments are not exclusive, and various other embodiments of the invention will now present themselves to those skilled in the art, while changes may be made in the construction, arrangement and proportion of parts, and .cer-

` tain features used without other features, without departing from the spirit of the invention. Reference is therefore to be had tothe claims hereto appended for a definition of the limits of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l1. In an engine starter, a rotary driving member; a member arranged substantially in alinement therewith adapted to engage and drive a member of an engine to be started, a countershaft arranged substantially parallel to said members,

a stage of reduction gearing connecting the driving member to the countershaft including a gear journaled on the countershaft and connected thereto by a pre-set friction clutch, a second stage of reduction gearing connecting the countershaft to the engine engaging member. and including a gear arranged concentric with the engine engaging member, and a manually operated member nested between the driving member and said last mentioned gear, and adapted to drive the driving member through both stages of gearing.

2. In an engine starter, in combination, a driving member, a member adapted to engage and drive a member of an engine to be started, a gear connected to spin the driving member and yieldably connected to rotate the engine engaging member from the driving member, a motor shaft, a pinion loosely journaled thereon and meshing with said gear, and an overrunning clutch connecting said shaft and pinion.

3. In an engine starter, in combination, a driving member, a member adapted to engage and drive a member of an engine to be started, a gear connected to spin the driving member and yieldably connected to rotate the engine engaging member from the driving member, a motor shaft, a pinion loosely journaled thereon and meshing With said gear, and a sleeve splined on the motor shaft and having a ratchet connection to said pinion. 4. In an engine starter, in combination, an ened to rotate said engine engaging member, a motor shaft, a pinion loosely journaled thereon and meshing with said gear, and an over-running clutch connecting said shaft and pinion, and permitting rotation of said pinion through a complete revolution independently of said shaft.

5. In an engine starter, in combination, an engine engaging member, a gear yieldably connected to rotate the engine engaging member, a motor shaft, a pinion loosely journaled thereon and meshing with said gear,v and a sleeve splined on the motor shaft and having a connection to said pinion such that said pinion is free to rotate through a complete revolution independently of said shaft.

6. In an inertia engine starter, an inertia member, a member adapted to engage and drive a member of an engine to be started, a driving motor, a gear adapted to drive the inertia member, a countershaft geared to the engine engaging member and forming a journal bearing for said gear, said gear having a rim formed internally as a cylindrical clutching surface, and a friction disk member splined on said countershaft and having-arcuate peripheral surfaces arranged to adjustably engage within said rim, and means including two distinct sets of teeth on said rimA for drivably connecting said motor and-inertia member.

7. In an inertia engine starter, an inertia member, a supporting plate having al boss extending into the hub of said inertia member to constitute a journal base therefor, a member adapted to engage and drive a member of .an engine to be started, amotor' driven gear connected to spin the inertia element, a countershaft geared to the engine engaging member and forming a journal bearing for said gear, said gear having a rim formed internally as a cylindrical clutching surface, a dished clutch member splined on said countershaft and having segmental peripheral surfaces arranged to engage said rim, and adjustable means threaded into said supporting plate for attening the clutch member to vary its clutching engagement with said rim.

8. In an inertia engine starter, an inertia member, a supporting plate having a boss extending into the hub of said inertia member to constitute a journal base therefor, a member adapted to engage and drive a member of an engine to be started, a motor driven gear connected to spin the inertia member, a countershaft geared to the engine engaging member, said gear being journaled thereon and being provided with a rim formed internally as a cylindrical clutching surface, a dished clutch member splined on said countershaft and having elastic segments with peripheral surfaces arranged to engage within said rim, and adjustable means threaded into said supporting plate for forcing the clutch member towards said gear to flatten the segments and lthereby vary their clutching engagement within 

